The Life Rooms: Cathie Pilkington’s show at Brighton University

Cathie Pilkington sculpts children’s dolls, traumatised by life’s experience. The dolls are staged in archetypal situations, fairy stories from the dark side. Some of the tableaux deal refer to gender roles, recalling oppression or reclaiming feminine sexuality – a delicately crafted, sex-cleft surprisingly eroticises a porcelain-doll figure; a grey school-girl dress masks a libido fit to burst. There are wider reflections: one of most disturbing cameos for me was Brere rabbit, a sweet bunny horrified to find a doll tied up and covered in bitumen. In another corner, a strange beast feeds on a humanoid sheep. There’s also a recreation of the Royal Academy life drawing room complete with pencils and paper for visitors to draw nude model dolls. At Brighton University Gallery during May 2017 link to venue for details: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/whats-on/gallery/gallery-exhibitions-2017/may-2017/the-life-rooms … also http://www.cathiepilkington.com.